Blast in Keonjhar iron plant: 13 injured in explosion

Thirteen workers were injured, four of them critically, in an explosion at a sponge iron plant at Rugudi in Keonjhar district today, police said.

The labourers sustained severe burn injuries when a furnace at the plant exploded and molten metal fell on them, the inspector in-charge of Rugudi police station, Srikant Sahu, said.

Thirteen workers were injured, four of them critically, in an explosion at a sponge iron plant at Rugudi in Keonjhar district today, police said. The labourers sustained severe burn injuries when a furnace at the plant exploded and molten metal fell on them, the inspector in-charge of Rugudi police station, Srikant Sahu, said. The injured were immediately taken to hospital at Joda for treatment, he said, adding that four of them were later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack. Tension prevailed on the premises of the plant as workers and local people staged a demonstration following the mishap, demanding adequate safety measures and compensation for the victims. Police personnel reached the spot to prevent any untoward incident.

The plant has been shut down for now, Sahu said. “The situation is under control and adequate forces have been deployed in the area as a precautionary measure. We are trying to ascertain the reason and circumstances that led to the incident,” he said.